Flames-Within Story
by deadplayer33
Summary: Renata Diya is a full demon infiltrating True Cross Academy under the guise of an ordinary student. Her goal is simple: take control over Assiah. With so many exorcists standing in the way, how will she go about doing so? The lives of Renata Diya, Lamia, Mia Pyon, Frisco Sandego, Rocket, and Vladislav Vikenti intermingle in this thrilling story of a demon's ambition. T for language
1. Chapter 1

The Flame of Burning Greed - Chapter 1

_The African-American female remained oblivious to the demonic intruder in her mansion. This had been due to the fact that she had not received the spirit wound needed to see such a beast. The creature slinked over to the female who was counting the money she had earned this month. It was obvious this woman was overcome by greed, swallowed by one of the famed deadly sins. It was a typical scene: a rich husband the woman probably didn't even love accompanied with a fancy home, and seemingly endless money deposits coming from God-knows-where. The unnoticed demon snickered, glad that it had finally found a liable host, one that would be easily taken over and had no chance of fighting back. Approaching with caution, the dragon demon brushed its tail against the human and then flung itself onto her, digging its sharpened claws into her arms. With a scream, the woman fell back and hit her head against the wall. A dent formed where her body had made contact. Taking it as its chance, the demon possessed the barely conscious body and savored the smell of slightly scorched skin as flames enveloped the new host. An immensely painful headache started as a pair of horns sprouted. A tail stretched out proudly from the victim's dress, though not unaccompanied by searing throbbing. Getting up unsteadily, the demon named Greed staggered towards the vanity mirror that was across the bed. It was time to get used to this new host. Ravaging the items in front of the mirror, the demon found a business card labeled with characters from the English alphabet. The host's head began to pound as she attempted to concentrate on the task at hand. Its vision was blurry, but she was able to make out one word for certain._

"Renata…" The demon read aloud, letting the name settle on its new foreign tongue. Glancing into the mirror, the demon tied back the host's hair and relished the thought of living among humans. However something needed to be done about the demonic features. The demon muttered something in an ancient language, and slowly the crimson skin began to smooth out and disappear, leaving behind the original chocolate-colored skin. The horns and pointed ears retracted, making the host look almost entirely human. Almost. The tail remained, rebelling against the wishes of its owner. The demon hissed, but decided it would be relatively easy to conceal her tail; the only weak spot of a demon. Taking one last long look at the mirror, she nodded with satisfaction and made her way outside of the building. 

* * *

"… And you are not to disobey any discussed rules we spoke about earlier, Renata. Understood?" Mephisto warned playfully, watching the female student in front of him with curious eyes.

"Yes, I understand Mr. Pheles. You don't need to repeat yourself with me." The girl addressed, Renata, replied. She rolled her eyes, not even bothering to hide her attitude around the Headmaster. Mephisto chuckled and handed the demon her school uniform. It was wrapped and bound with a frail plastic cover.

"You said you wanted to attend the Exorcist cram school, correct? I just want to verify, sweetie." Mephisto asked, his grin never faltering. Renata felt sick to her stomach hearing the endearment at the end.

"That is what I intend to do. I had what you'd call… 'a change of heart'." Renata said, lying through her teeth. Mephisto either was completely ignorant of this, or he pretended to be, as he dismissed her.

Renata knew Mephisto from Gehenna. He was intrigued greatly by humans from the start, so it seemed easy enough to lie about sharing his feelings on that. She wouldn't put it past that man if he had his own plan of action brewing in his head as he spun his chair away from her, his shoulders heaving from soft laughter.

As she left the office and was out of view, she sneered at the closed door behind her and walked down the hallway, counting the steps she took. She passed by a lively classroom and couldn't help but wonder about what school was even like. She cautiously peered in the door, telling herself not to expect much from hormonal adolescence.

They seemed to be in the middle of a discussion led by a teacher who brandished a pair of glasses and a few beauty marks. Her gaze wandered over the students but automatically stopped at a student that was asleep despite the volume in the room. She stared at him pointedly, urging him to wake up before he got chewed out. Renata would have spent more time looking at her future classmates had she not been spotted. She could feel a pair of eyes that bore into her and almost instantaneously, goose bumps sprouted over her body, and a shudder slid down her spine. Following the sudden cold feeling, she found herself staring into the eyes of a male student who bore piercings and held an overall rebellious exterior. His hair was quite different, and made him stand out from the others. He opened his mouth slightly, as if he was unsure whether or not he was actually seeing a girl at the doorway. Not wanting to linger any longer, she tore her gaze away from the other and made her way to her dorm room. Her pace quickened as she hears footsteps echo in the hallway. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Slamming the door of her dorm, she sighed in relief and took a seat on her bed. That man… How mysterious. It felt almost as though he was scrutinizing her. Maybe she had a thing for dudes like that.

She grinned deviously at the thought and slipped her current clothes off, replacing it with her new uniform. It was a perfect fit, which was a little creepy as Mephisto was not informed of her sizes. That is, not supposed to be informed. Shuddering, the demon straightened out as many wrinkles as she could. She had to make a good impression after all. It wasn't everyday a "transfer" student came along, let alone the fact that it wasn't even the beginning of the semester. Mephisto had advised waiting until tomorrow before barging in, but Renata was not one to make others wait. Standing up, she mockingly curtseyed to herself in the mirror. She wasn't a fan of skirts, but she'd have to make do. Hopefully she could find somewhere to buy leggings or tights. She opened the door and strutted down the same drab hallway, and paused before entering the classroom. She luxuriated in the moment in which everyone's eyes were on her. Silly kids, curiosity killed the cat. The teacher cleared his throat and turned to her, surprised someone was interrupting.

"I'm the new transfer student" Renata whispered, attempting a fake cotton candy smile. The other's shocked face deteriorated with realization.

"Ah yes. I thought you were to arrive tomorrow, but no matter," turning to address the class, his voice boomed, "We have a new student today. Her name is Renata Diya."

Renata intercepted, not wanting to bore the others, "I'm looking forward to a good year with you all." With that, she bowed sloppily, hoping she was following Japanese custom. Not that she really cared much for first impressions from these small-fry. They were all just a bunch of exorcist wannabes, after all.

"Call me Mr. Okumura. You may take a seat wherever you please" the spotted male offered, gesturing with his hand towards the desks. Renata grinned and walked over to where a pink-haired male was situated and took the empty seat beside him. The latter gawked, his mouth gaping big enough to fit a golf ball. There was a long awkward silence that caused Renata to shift uncomfortably.

"Hello there, milady. I'm Renzou Shima. I'm also single" the odd boy said, suddenly finding his mouth again. His voice was hushed, and timed perfectly; the teacher had his back to the two. His lips were twisted into a smile that practically screamed pervert, and yet, Renata found herself smiling back.

"What a coincidence; I'm single as well. But I don't go proclaiming it to every man I meet" Renata said, winking at newly acquainted Shima. A harsh voice intercepted, telling the two to shut up and pay attention. Looking away from Shima, her eyes met with the boy from earlier.

"Well, hello to you too, Mr. Pouty Piercings. Someone is sure in a good mood. Thanks for making me feel welcome" Renata jeered, sarcasm heavily lacing her voice.

"Get real. Just because you're new doesn't mean you can disregard this learning opportunity. Take this seriously, or get out" the man scoffed, clearly getting irritated.

Shima interrupted before the two could get off to a worse start. "This is Ryuji Suguro. He's one of my friends."

"Well then, Ryuji, we shall continue this little discussion later, preferably at lunch" she said his name with a sickening bittersweet tone.

Ryuji made a scowl that could've earned him the grouchiest person of the year. The pleading look Shima gave him was enough to keep him quiet, however. Renata didn't even bother giving her attention to the teacher; she knew all this stuff already. It was only natural as a demon to know your own weaknesses. She was told by one of her many demon minions that it was best to masquerade as a "Tamer", as she could summon an army of demons to her command, and a "Dragoon", utilizing guns to exorcise demons to fit in. She had already done all her research about the above, so Mr. Okumura's words went through one ear and out the other. Talking to Shima was the lone outlet for her boredom, but she could tell he was uncomfortable doing something that would anger his rebel-looking friend. Perhaps he was whipped? It was a funny assumption, but maybe it was assuming too much. It looked like she'd have to tough it out until lunch break.

* * *

The bell had rung loud enough to rouse the dog-tired Renata. She jumped out of her seat and took a long exaggerated stretch. Waving dismissively, much to the disappointment of Shima, she left the classroom and stopped dead in her tracks. Up ahead, about two meters away, was the most awful sight she could ever bear witness to. A certain Russian man, about 6'2" and carrying a shotgun on his back, was talking to Mr. Okumura, obviously about something to do with classes. He seemed to be a teacher here, bearing an undeniable grin that betrayed who he was. Feeding on the attention her eyes gave him, he turned to look in her direction and did a double take. His face contorted into disgust, and he raised his chin into the air, looking down on her. Yukio followed the other teacher's gaze to look at Renata.

"Blech! I can't believe this. A skirt… on you of all people?" The Russian grimaced, drawing attention to the spectacle. A few students looked at Renata with curiosity, some with jealousy. Renata grit her teeth and stormed up to the tall male. Without a word, she linked her arm in his and dragged him into her dorm room, ignoring Yukio's protests. The man however had turned his disgust into bliss, laughing his tail off. Slamming the door and making sure it was locked, she spun around to face him with disdain.

"What are you doing here, Pride?" Renata seethed, throwing her balled-up hands on her hips.

"I could ask the same of you, Greed, or should I say, cute, little, innocent schoolgirl" the other responded, his smile never leaving his face.

"I'm on a mission. Satan ordered for me to scope out this place and gain intel, and to destroy it when necessary" Renata explained, and then added, "Are you already done with the branches Lord Satan assigned you?"

"Did you expect any less of me? You really should know better, miss… what's your name?"

"It's Renata over here. What are you doing in that exorcist get-up? You're a full demon; there's no way the Vatican approved of you."

"A few little lies didn't hurt anyone, as you yourself would know. I'm known as Vladislav Vikenti, and I'm an upper-class exorcist. For all the Vatican knows, I'm a half-demon. Problem?"

Renata wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with this guy. They had a history of not being able to stand a minute in the same room without wanting to bite the other's head off. Vladislav stuck his tongue out teasingly and pushed her backward with a flick of his hand. Renata growled but rather wisely decided to play this out without violence. She walked towards the door, Vladislav cocking an eyebrow in suspicion. She unlocked the door and cleared her throat, ready for a performance.

"Teacher! This 40-year old man is violating me!" Renata shrieked, smirking at the other. Vladislav was about to retreat when Yukio entered the room. He gave a wary glance at the other teacher.

"Vladislav, may I talk to you outside?"

Vladislav winked at Renata, playfully warning her that this was not over yet, and she wouldn't win this easily. Not that she was scared or anything. Sure, he was the right-hand man of Satan, but that meant nothing, right? She never would have foreseen that their relationship would be this bad. It seemed like their personalities were conflicting constantly. How did she ever like such a guy in the past?

* * *

_Greed watched the man she admired from afar, almost melting when his eyes swept over her. She was a young demon whom only recently began to rise in her ranks. She wished to be able to be seen as the other demon's equal. This demon, Pride Jr as he was known, was one of the strongest demons that was in charge of the hugest army of brute, savage, and merciless demons. He was second to only Satan, Sloth, and of course, his father Pride, or so he boasted. Pride and his son had a fierce rivalry, something to do with Pride Jr's manhood or something along the lines of that. As for Sloth, if he could actually get off his lazy ass and try to exert his strength, he'd crush Pride Jr with ease. Greed could never summon enough courage to actually approach the other. She'd heard rumors of him from the sufficient army she lead herself, but preferred not to listen to endless drabble of the weaker and probably jealous minions. If only she knew how to rightfully approach him. To catch up to his overwhelmingly high rank, she had worked hard to reach #6, which was a feat in itself._

Greed slithered up towards the him, realizing how weak she was acting. Even her eternal servant, , a purple pig-formed demon, would scoff at her tactics (which would then result in a beating, but was used to it.). When she was near enough, she was acknowledged by a nod from Pride Jr, announcing that he had noticed her presence. Greed felt her blood boil, which was unusual for a Dragon-based demon such as her. Her red scales quivered with excitement, knowing that this was the moment she had been anticipating for quite some time now. Steam escaped through her nostrils as she spoke.

"Greetings, Pride. Satan has ordered me to check up on you. He's worried that you're overexerting yourself" she fibbed, knowing fully well that the Demon Lord would not care for trivial matters such as comfort. Pride Jr smirked, and for once, Greed wished that she too had taken over a human host from Assiah. The being Pride Jr had taken over was awfully handsome, and made her feel ashamed to even bask in his presence. She was amazed that he had such control over the foreign body, and was able to navigate in Gehenna with it. It was the first time Greed had really noticed that human beings retained some form of beauty, even if it was all superficial.

"Well then, tell him I am fine, as always. A perfect servant should not be exhausted by such little exertion of force, no?" he responded, his voice snaking into her ears. "Now what is the real reason you have approached me?"

Greed would've blushed had she been in a human body. He had seen right through her ploy, not that she doubted his abilities. "I just find you absolutely…." For once, her words had failed to reach her lips. Pride Jr chuckled with that charming smile of his.

"Handsome? Addictive? Wonderful? Smart?" Pride Jr offered, finally showing his true colors. Was he always this vain?

"Uh sure, you could say that. Though I prefer saying that I find you… as an egotistical narcissistic arrogant piece of sh-"

"Piece of hot man? That's what I thought as well. It was nice talking to you. If you will, please do continue droning on about my awesome epicness."

Greed growled as flames escaped through her nostrils. This man was **so** dead!

* * *

Renata prowled the cafeteria, sort of confused as to where she should sit. The tables didn't seem to be segregated by any discernible form of cliques, so where was one supposed to sit? It had almost killed her on the inside when she had to spend her precious money on something so utterly _human_. Renata's gaze shot up when she heard her name being called over. It was the Rin Okumura kid, and he flashed such a bright cheery smile that Renata couldn't resist. How innocent of Satan's son. She took the offered seat and set her lunch tray down beside his. Rin's electric blue eyes could barely contain his excitement.

"So how'd you get in? Why are you here? Is there someone special you like yet? Made any friends?" The questions all came tumbling out of Rin's mouth in an onslaught of verbal diarrhea.

At this rate, this was going to be a long day. It almost would've made Renata's plans not worth it... _Almost_.


	2. Chapter 2

The Flame of Burning Recognition - Chapter 2

A light fog clouded the hidden exorcist's vision, as if the blinding darkness of night wasn't daunting enough. It would've been a difficult task to accomplish with the black sheet of darkness hovering around if the exorcist wasn't so well-prepared. Two cat-like yellow orbs glimmered, piercing both the fog and the darkness. The streetlight stationed right beside the alley the exorcist- Mia Pyon- was hiding in would flicker on and off, and she vaguely wondered why no one had bothered changing it. There were no stars out tonight, which only added to the sense of something forthcoming.

Mia stood at full attention, her hearing senses honed due to her Cat-Sith demon heritage. It wasn't something she was proud of, but she had to admit that it aided her in her endeavors as an upper first-class exorcist. The plan was perfect; she was able to map out the whole area and when exactly the demon she was hunting would pop out. Indiscernible to the dim-witted exorcists forced upon her in her squadron, Mia had been able to pinpoint a pattern in the gargoyle's hunting sprees. The trap was set, and the three exorcists in her team were placed strategically to her advantage. Any moment now the demon would make it's way across that path, oblivious to the ambush that awaited.

A shape adorned with wings materialized a few meters down the deserted street. Instinctively, Mia's fingers reached up to the gadget in her ear that allowed her to communicate with the other exorcists. She flicked the connection on and stared straight ahead at the creature that approached agonizingly slow. The creature suddenly ceased movement and lifted its head to scent out its next meal.

"Alright, prepare to make your move on my order," the tactician paused as one of her feline ears twitched, sensitive to a noise coming from the other side of the street opposite to the gargoyle. With a sinking feeling she realized that somebody was moving towards the demon, strolling rather leisurely. The demon didn't seem to notice though, as it remained practically frozen in position. A change in plans would have to suffice to accommodate this sudden intrusion.

'_This isn't necessarily a bad thing, Mia.' _a voice piped up, interrupting Mia's thought process. It was her familiar, Ceilionis Vesuvivus. She had almost forgotten her loyal companion was beside her the whole time. She also wasn't accustomed to the awakening of her demon telepathy abilities, "blessed" upon her because of her half-demon genes. It was a foreign concept to her, and she didn't like the idea of something being able to read her mind, even if it was her familiar.

'_How can I use her this stupid woman's presence in my favor, Ceil?'_ Mia projected mentally back at Ceilionis. The human's figure had come closer, revealing the gender of the newest addition to Mia's problems. If the human got any closer, the gargoyle would smell her scent and...

_'Bait'_. Ceilionis' lone word echoed through her skull. Of course! There was still hope. The human couldn't see the demon due to her lack of either demon genetics or receiving a spirit wound, so fear wouldn't suddenly drive her away and lead the demon astray. If the woman just caught the attention of the demon, Mia could defeat the distracted gargoyle with ease. It would be a gamble, putting the woman's life in danger, but it was a small price to pay for ultimate victory. This world was but a chessboard, and Mia had decided her move.

Mia tentatively walked out towards the woman, whom she now realized she could smell alcohol coming off in waves from. The other woman stumbled and giggled to herself before noticing Mia's presence. She stuttered a greeting and tripped over her heels. How pathetic. Mia reached her arm out towards the fallen drunkard and...

Sliced her skin with a blade attached to her clothing. With calculated precision and accuracy, Mia made a tiny sliver on the other woman's cheek and backed up into the alleyway, a safe distance for the shit-storm about to come. The woman made faint protests and attempted to stand up, raring for a fight. It might have been because of the severity of her intoxication, but if she wanted a fight that badly, she was about to get one.

The scent of human blood wafted into the gargoyle's nostrils and filled the demon's mind with one thought: kill. All other senses faded out as its eyes turned into tiny murderous slits and went insane. Screeching, the gargoyle spread its wings and took flight, soaring rapidly towards the disgruntled woman.

"Mia, what's going on over there?!" a static voice came from the chip in Mia's ear. Ignoring its heeds, Mia turned to Ceilionis. A scream came from the woman as the gargoyle tackled its prey. The woman lashed out in an attempt to defend herself against the invisible foe. With the gargoyle's heightened demon senses thrown out the window with the rattled murderous thoughts, it was time for Mia to make her move.

"Ceil, it's become an easy target. No damage will befall you if you attack now." she said, closing her eyes and turning her back to the gargled squeals.

Ceilionis nodded and leaped into the fray, taking down the gargoyle swiftly and engulfing it in flames. At this point, the other exorcists had shifted out of their positioning and made their way to Mia, rage eating at their faces.

"What do you think you're doing?" the lower-class exorcists exclaimed, quickly turning to the motionless woman on the ground.

"She's breathing but unconscious. It's nothing to worry about. A small sacrifice to be made for the benefit of the majority." Mia responded, allowing cool apathy to seep in her voice.

The doctor exorcist amongst the group began to dress and treat the woman's wounds. One of the other exorcists was beginning to rant when Mia turned to face him and stared him down. Her glare was enough to silence him along with the rest of the group as they made their way back to the Vatican headquarters to report back.

* * *

"Another failed trial, Arthur?" the scantily clad female jeered, strutting towards the Paladin. He was standing outside the court doors, and the defendant Vladislav Vikenti stood not too far from him with a triumphant smirk on his face.

Arthur chuckled and shook his head with dismay. "I'm sure it's obvious how it turned out. On to more pressing matters, you managed to destroy the demon on your mission, correct?"

"Did you expect any less of me, Mr. Angel?" she responded with pride, reminiscent on the friendly rivalry they shared that made them friends in the first place. The blonde Paladin, a close friend of hers for quite some time now, smirked at her confidence.

"How do you defeat such creatures so skillfully? Gargoyles have such heightened senses, so it's hard to catch them off-guard. Oh wait, of course you can defeat them with ease. You're in _league_with them!"

Mia's demon heritage was a touchy subject to her. A hiss came from her mouth as she grit her teeth, "Arthur, you know as well as I do that I've proven my worth to this cause. It's the least I can do to redeem myself of this demon inheritance cursed upon me."

"Yes, so you became an exorcist," Arthur paused for effect thoughtfully, "Nice cover, no one would be able to guess."

"Just like no one would be able to guess the story behind the name 'baldy'." Mia shot back, a grin forming on her lips. Arthur cocked one of his eyebrows and smiled mirthlessly.

The tension between the two lifted with an exchange of hearty laughter, that began with Mia and was contagious enough to spread to the other as they recalled that particular incident. Arthur parted, saying something about retiring to his room. It was no surprise, since his tiring efforts of convicting Vladislav Vikenti of being a full demon and destroying a couple of branches of True Cross proved difficult to back up with evidence. It was hard to gather evidence when most of the evidence was killed. Any body that survived the branch's attack was in fact saved by the mysterious Russian exorcist. Mia's gaze followed the Paladin's back until he disappeared from sight. She held a lot of respect for the man for remaining so adamant in face of such odds.

"Well I'll be damned. I didn't know the Paladin actually had a friend."

Mia glared at the owner of the voice. It was none other than the Russian exorcist himself, Vladislav Vikenti.

"Do not speak to me, I'm busy" was all she said. She was about to follow Arthur's example and take her leave when Vladislav grabbed her arm. With a brute show of strength, Vladislav pulled Mia back towards him. Mia cussed as she lost her balance and fell against him. Vladislav took off his long black exorcist coat and carefully placed it around Mia, who for some inexplicable reason complied. It was a little chilly in the Vatican after all, although it might have been due to her choice of clothes, or lack thereof, as well.

Vladislav leaned towards her ear and whispered lowly, "Leave some things to the imagination, Pupsik."

With a wave of his hand, the flirtatious playboy Vladislav exited the room, leaving behind a fuming Mia.

"What the hell!" Mia called after him, falling upon deaf ears.

* * *

Mia's room door slammed shut as she kicked off her shoes and pounced on her bed, burrowing her face into her pillow. Whether it was out of shame and embarrassment or deprivation of sleep, Mia wasn't sure.

She never really had considered why she chose to wear revealing clothes. Now that she reflected back upon it, she only started wearing such articles of clothing when she met the most beautiful exorcist, Shura Kirigakure, who wore such things. However, unlike Mia, she possessed a tanned and curvy body and was admittedly a sexy woman. Mia has a pale, rectangle-shaped body with not much waist definition and little meat on her.

It chilled Mia to the bone to think that people respected somebody like the irresponsible Shura, probably for her lack of suitable clothing. Nobody ever respected Mia like that despite the brilliant tactics she came up with. All Shura seemed to do was get drunk and give orders that weren't always the wisest. Mia's tactic skills rivaled even that of Mephisto's, from what she knew of, and yet no one paid her heed. Fear replaced any form of respect anyone could have for Mia and she just couldn't handle it any more. She tried to wear clothes like Shura's, but to no avail. When would she receive the recognition she justly deserved?

Mia curled herself in Vladislav's jacket and shut her eyes. She subconsciously swore to herself that she would never take it off.

Ever.

**A/N: **Amg, it's done  
A short chapter to quench your guys' thirst for the Flames-Within! This is written in Mia Pyon's point of view!  
It's short because it was only meant to establish Mia's cold-hearted personality and her reason for working with Renata and Lamia. Of course, they haven't been introduced to her yet, so it's leading up to there.  
Mia and Vlad are so cute amg 33 ;u;  
The next chapter will be Rocket's, following Arthur's leave from this chapter. He steps into his room to find... An angel!

**A few important notes:**  
The story of "Baldy" - Head-canon time! The reason why Shura calls him baldy is because once, during a sequence of fights, he needed to rely on the sword's power so much that he used up all of his hair. It would add to the comedy of this if Mia was also there to witness this, and thus shares a little joke with Shura about "baldy". . /tumblr_mcls5qWOuC1qhameso1_  
"Nice cover, no one would be able to guess" - The pure irony of this statement is why it's here in the notes section. This is basically what Renata does. She pretends to try becoming an exorcist so no one would be able to guess her demonic intentions. I just thought it'd be fun to share that.  
"Pupsik" - An endearment used in Russia. It's equivalent to calling somebody "baby" in a flirty manner.  
"Ceil" - A nickname Mia has for her familiar Ceilionis Vesuvivus. More info on her familiar: [link]  
The constant mention of Mia's outfit - In case you don't know, Mia dresses quite... I'm not afraid to say it, "slutty". However, this is the only chapter Mia will be seen wearing these clothes, since she'll be wearing Vlad's jacket from here on out  
The comparison to Mephisto - Mia only knows of Mephisto's tactful insight, so when she compares her abilities to Mephisto, it is of only that sense. In almost any other area, Mephisto could beat her easily. As mentioned in her bio, she's not a fighter. Also, Mephisto hasn't shown the full extent of ANY of his powers yet, including his tactics. Mia compares herself to Mephisto from what she knows, not what is actually true. Besides, she prides herself on her tactics. Of course she'll say she's better than someone renown for their tactics, since she takes pride in herself. This is told from Mia's point of view, even though it's third-person. Any statements made here are from what she knows, hence adding dramatic irony. The audience knows more about Mephisto, thus any one can say that Mia probably is not as strong as she says she is in tactics.  
Arthur and Mia - Heavily implied in both the text above and in Mia's bio, Arthur and Mia are close friends. I'm pretty sure Mia and Arthur are similar in age (Mia is 27), so they were probably both attending cram school at the same time.  
In school they constantly competed against each other to see who was the best (two people who pride themselves on their work? It's to be expected). By the time they graduated school, they had an even score. This made them start to recognize and eventually mutually respect each other (despite both of their very unlikable personalities). Basically, they've been friends for many years, and that's why they're so close to each other. While they still have some good ol' friendly rivalry, they still respect the work the other has done. After being friends for a few years, it's only natural for the two to be close without trying to kill each other or anything. Hopefully this clears any confusion as to why Arthur would compliment somebody other than himself. His respect for Mia was _earned_through years of antecedent friendship not shown here. I would've done a flashblack, but there was no instance that made sense in the story to add it.

Any other questions asked will be added to the notes section, so ask away!

Critique requested! Please help my English make sense rofl


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